Stair and baluster railing



May. 6, 1930- G. RQSENBAUM A 1,757,686

STAIR AND BALUSTER RAILING Fiied oct. 28. 1929 INVENTOR j," www@ATTORNEY Patented May 6, 1930 i GAD nosnmaenm; or nnrnorr, monteerts'rnmV AND JBnLUs'rnn inAILING Application `filed October l28, k1929.Seria-1 j No'. 402,853,

My invention relates to an improvement in stair and balu'ster railings4andfinore particu larlyin a novel construction of the balusterS'Stringers whereby they are Vadapte-d to interlock to Vform, ya unitarystructure that may beassembled either at the shop, or shippedknockdown,to be erected .at the building `Wllilere the :railing is vto beinstalled.

The primary object 4or the in ventionis tol provide an interlockingconstruction which upon assembly of .the balusters and stringers,insures a rigid unitary structurewthout weldingor the ,employment ofbolts or other vfastening devices. Y 5 y .Wt-h 'the oregoingfandotherobjects in View which willappear as the description proceeds, theinvention further resides in the combination and arrangement of partsYand in the details of `const ruction vhereinafterdei .elevation of .a

terwould appear when interlocked Withthel `Stringer upon stairs, also abaluster as its interlocking end portion is about to .enter into.

engagement with the Stringer, vand in dotted lines the position assumedby saidbaluster when interlocked. p

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan View of a :channel member or Stringer asemployed in a horizontal railing, showing an opening in :the ,Stringerto receive Athe interlocking end of a balnster, also the end of a4baluster. inserted in an acent openingfof the Stringer.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional -viewthrongha yhorizontalStringer, showing a balusterin interlocking relation, also a balusterabout to ente-r into interlocking relation more clearly with thehorizontal Stringer, 'and dotted `lines the baluster interl-oe'ked withthe fstrlnger. y Y

Fii'gnret is .a cross-sectional lView of la de- `tail .a Lstfnger, taken:on for about fline :'6-6

:O .Figure `5, showing :a Ibalnster interlocked Wththeistringer.

Figure 7 is a modification 'of the interlock 'img Y-cnd of :azstairbia-luster :and its Stringer. Referring now to itlrefiletters :ofreference placed nplontlie 'dra-Wings: Y y A, A1 denote the ripper andlower stringere :of a stair 4rail reepeotimely sectmed iin any suitablemannen-eas :tor example ian angle plate iB ,wto a nervel post G, at thetoot roti the stairs. y 1

Therweb Aa of the stringere are punched Witlil .a plurality of Eholesl)infequal spaced re ,lationrto receive-'the endsfoi a ,plurality otball#- Y .listers IE, -the openings \(LD the stai-r rail stringers hcorresponding in :size with =a crosssection of the end of the baluster.The bainslter Eis nsertedin 4the stringer at rig-lit :angles to theunder aceof the laftter-asfclearl-y indi cated in Figure Following theinsertion oit' the .balnster through .fthe opening in the Stringer,,tl-1e baluster :is swung into :a vertical positionfshown tall :and`dotted lines.

'Bhe notched portions fon yopposite sidesor fthe -baluster form.shoulders El' overlapping the upper fand un'der .lsfi'des vof fthe'stringer Wald. The :lower Vend of the balus'ters are Aregrspectivelyfinterloeked'withthelower:Stringer -or channel 'raifl Vin asimilar' manner t-o that :just described.. Upon the entry ci the'interlocking ends oit the sev-eral *balusters in the open-ingsprovi-ded in the upper and -lower stringers,-the ibaflnsters being atright vangles to theweb of the stringerethe stringers ,are shifted inopposite Vdirections v'in relation to each other, thereby forcing ,thebalusters into v a vertical position, and 'interlockingrelation with the.notches E1, overlapping .the upper and lower sides of ,the .StringervWalls ,-see Figures i2 andB. To vmaintain the balusters andstr'ingersin .thcirassembled relation that they may not collapse before connection`with the n ewel posts, a pin F may ,be driven through anopeningprovided 'in one of the i Umm-D As,'ferrS PATENT O-FFffCE;

balusters-see Figure 2-ad3'1acent and'parallel with the web of one ofthe stringers.

This device holdsfthe structure rigidly in its assembly unitaryrelation.

Referring now to the horizontal railing shown in Figure 2,-the openings(D1) in the horizontalV stringers are somewhat narrower than their widthand correspond in size with the cross-sectional dimension of thebaluster at its contracted'neck (Ezh-see Figure 4. The ends of thebaluster employed inthe horizontal railing are bevelled that theymaypass through the contracted openingsin the horizontal stringers,-thebevelled portion (E3) extending from the contracted neck` to the end ofthe baluster, see Figure 5.

It will be noted thatthe vbevelled end of Y the interlocking portions ateachend of the ers, the baluster being turned so that its bevelled endis opposed to the bevelled ends of Vthe other balusters as clearlyindicated in Figure 2. This arrangement serves Vto insure 'a l unitaryrailing and secures it againstr'collapse. v

In Figure 7 a modification of 'thelocking end of the stair baluster isshown. Itwill be noted that the baluster isV notched only on one side.The notched portion however is relatively deeper than previouslyindicated.

To assemble the parts, the interlocking end portion of the baluster isthrust through an opening of the same cross-sectional dimension as thatof the baluster. It is then swung into the position shown in full anddotted lines. The edge of the baluster contacts on one side with thewall Ysurrounding the openingv through the web of the stringer,`-'theshoulder formed by notching the opposite side of the balusteroverlapping .the web of theV Stringer. This modification is adpated moreparticularly for inclined stair railings.

` In this modified construction, two of the notches required in the formshown in Figure 3 have been eliminated, thereby reducing the cost or'manufacture.

Having now, indicated the parts by reference letters, the constructionand( operation Y Aof the device will be readily understood withoutfurther detailed explanation.

If desired, the railing maybe shipped in knock-down condition, andreadily assembled parts ters in relation to the others when interlockying it with the stringers;-as previously den scribed.

Having thus I claimis:

l. A baluster and railing structure formed from a pair of stringers anda plurality of described my invention, what balustersdetachably'connected and interlocked with one another; the upper andlower stringers having a plurality ofholesspa'ced apart to receive theends of the balusters when inserted through-said holes at an varbitraryangle to the stringers; said balusters notched adjacent ltheir ends toform shoulders,'adapt ed upon-entering the ends of the balusters throughthe openingsot` the stringers to overlap the wall surrounding theopening of the stringers and to interlockvr with said stringers uponchanging the initial'angleof said-balusters in relation to saidstringers.

2. In a structure of the character described, a pair of stringersprovided with a plurality of holesl spaced apartkto receive the ends ofa plurality otbalusters; a plurality of balusters having ends adapted tocnt erthe holes in said stringers, said balusters being notched vadjacent their ends to Vforni shoulders, adapted-to overlap andinterlockwith said stringers upon irstinserting the ends of. thebalusters through the holes of the strlnge'rs at a suitable angle, thenshifting the angleV of the balusters to a vertical position from thefloor, whereby the shoulders of the balusters 1 mayoverlap, thestringers and means for securing the assembled balusters and stringerstogether as a unitary structure. `y

3. A structureas specified in claiml l, in combinaation with aYpinextending transversely through one of saidbalusters, adjai cent oneof the stringers, 1whereby the as'- sembled balusters and stringersmaybe secured together as a unitary structure.

4l.v A baluster and a railing structure formed Vfrom a pair of stringersanda plurality of balusters detachably connected and interlocked withone another; the upper and lower stringers-having a plurality of holesspaced apart to receive the ends of the balusters; said balustersnotchedv at'each end on 'each side of the baluster to overlap the walls'of the Stringer, with one side at each end loi' the baluster formed onan angle extending v from one of the notches to the ends ot thebaluster, a cross-section of theendsV of the baluster being relativelynarrower than their width, whereby they may enter at an arbitraryv anglethrough correspondingly shaped holes in the stringers to overlap thewall surrounding the holes in the latter upon ehanging the initial angleof the kloalusters in relaf tion to said Stringer to effect aninterlocking relation; and means for securing the stringers andbalusters as a unitary structure When interlocked.

In testimony whereof, Isign this specifica,-

ton.

GAD ROSENBAUM.

